Teen Therapy in Los Angeles
Your teen is struggling. You can see it — the withdrawal, the mood swings, the grades slipping, the door that's always closed. You've tried talking to them. You've tried giving them space. Nothing is working, and you're watching someone you love disappear behind a wall you can't get through.
I'm Dr. Jené Verchick, a licensed clinical psychologist with over 26 years of experience. I work with teens throughout Los Angeles and California via secure video sessions. I also hold a Master's degree in Child, Adolescent, and Family Therapy from USC — this is what I was trained to do.
How I Work With Teens
Teens don't want to be analyzed. They don't want to be lectured. And they definitely don't want a therapist who talks to them the way every other adult in their life does.
I'm direct with teens. I treat them like real people, not patients. I don't use worksheets. I don't ask them to rate their feelings on a scale of 1 to 10. I talk to them the way they need to be talked to — honestly, without judgment, and without an agenda.
What I've learned in 26 years is that teens will open up when they feel safe and respected. My job is to create that space and then help them figure out what's actually going on underneath the behavior that's worrying you.
What I Help Teens With
Anxiety. The kind that looks like perfectionism, procrastination, avoidance, stomach aches before school, or a phone that never leaves their hand. Teen anxiety often hides behind high performance — your kid might be getting straight A's and falling apart inside.
Depression. Not just sadness — the flatness, the loss of interest in things they used to love, the sleeping all day, the isolation. Teen depression is easy to miss because it often looks like laziness or attitude.
School pressure. The college admissions arms race, AP overload, extracurricular exhaustion, and the constant message that they need to be exceptional at everything. I help teens find their actual identity underneath the performance.
Social media and identity. Comparison, cyberbullying, curated lives, and the pressure to perform an identity online that doesn't match who they are. This generation is navigating something no previous generation had to deal with, and most adults don't fully understand the impact.
Family conflict. Divorce, remarriage, sibling tension, enmeshed parents, or simply the normal developmental need to separate from you — which can feel like rejection when you're on the receiving end.
Life transitions. Moving, changing schools, parents divorcing, a family member's illness, or the looming pressure of leaving home for college.
What Parents Need to Know
You're probably the one reading this, not your teen. Here's what I want you to understand:
Your teen's behavior — the anger, the withdrawal, the defiance — is almost always a symptom, not the problem. Underneath it is something they can't name or don't know how to talk about. Therapy gives them a place to figure that out with someone who isn't their parent.
I'll keep you in the loop at a level that's appropriate. Teens need confidentiality to feel safe in therapy — if they think everything goes straight back to you, they won't open up. I'll let you know if there's anything you need to be concerned about, and I'll work with you on how to support them at home. But the details of what they share stay between us.
26+ Years of Experience
I hold a Master's degree in Child, Adolescent, and Family Therapy from USC in addition to my doctorate in Clinical Psychology. I've been working with teens for over two decades. What I've learned is that the teens who make the most progress are the ones whose therapist respects their autonomy. I don't try to fix your kid. I help them understand themselves — and that changes everything.
What Clients Say
"Our daughter was failing classes, fighting with us every night, and refusing to leave her room. We were terrified. Dr. Verchick didn't try to fix her in the first session — she just made her feel safe. Within a month, our daughter was talking to us again. Not about everything, but enough. The change was real." — Parents, Beverly Hills
"I was worried my son was depressed but he wouldn't talk to me about it. He agreed to try therapy only because I said he could quit after two sessions if he hated it. He's been going for six months and actually looks forward to it. He told me Dr. Verchick is the only adult who talks to him like a normal person." — Mother, Calabasas
"My 16-year-old was drowning in anxiety about college. She couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, and was having panic attacks before tests. Dr. Verchick helped her see that her worth isn't her GPA. The panic attacks stopped. She's still ambitious — she just doesn't hate herself anymore." — Father, Manhattan Beach
"Our teen came out to us and we wanted to be supportive but didn't know how. Dr. Verchick worked with our son individually and then brought us in for family sessions. She helped us understand what he needed from us — and what he didn't. We're closer now than we've been in years." — Parents, Encino
Frequently Asked Questions About Teen Therapy
How do I get my teen to agree to therapy?
Don't frame it as punishment or something they need to be "fixed." Tell them the truth: you can see they're struggling and you want to give them a space to talk to someone who isn't their parent. Many teens resist at first and then find it's the one place they feel heard.
My teen is doing well in school. Do they still need therapy?
High-performing teens are some of the most anxious and depressed. They've just learned to hide it behind achievement. If something feels off — even if the grades are fine — trust that instinct.
How long does teen therapy take?
It depends on what they're working through. Some teens benefit from a few months of focused work. Others stay longer to navigate ongoing challenges. There's no set timeline.